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Wendell Vaughn (Earth-616)
; formerly , , , , security chief of , , | Relatives = Dr. Gilbert Vaughn (father, deceased), Lisa Vaughn (mother), Gayle Vaughn (sister), Stakar Ogord (son) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Facility, Adirondack Mountains, New York State; Formerly mobile throughout the universe | Gender = Male | Height = 5'10" | Weight = 180 lbs | Eyes = Blue | Hair = Blond | UnusualFeatures = Formerly existed as a being of pure quantum energy | CharRef = | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Adventurer, formerly Protector of the Universe, security chief, S.H.I.E.L.D. special agent, US Army lieutenant | Education = College graduate, S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy graduate | Origin = Being of pure quantum energy; Formerly wielded the Quantum Bands in his role as Protector of the Universe. His worthiness was determined by the cosmic entity known as Eon. After Eon's death, Epoch now serves as Quasar's mentor. | PlaceOfBirth = Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | Creators = Don Glut; Roy Thomas; John Buscema | First = | HistoryText = Early Life Wendell Vaughn was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin but raised in Oshkosh. He had served in the US Army with distinction, eventually being promoted to Lieutenant. After the army he applied to join the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. He graduated will full honors, but his records stated that he lacked the so called "killer instinct" needed to be a field agent. Quantum Bands Assigned to routine guard duty at the Stark International project studying the "Quantum Bands", he watched as the Bands were field-tested by William Wesley, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top tech-jockey, who panicked when the Bands would not come off and disintegrated himself. Not an hour later, androids sent by the criminal organization A.I.M. staged a raid. Their objective: to steal the alien energy-bands. To protect them, Vaughn put them on -- and learned the fundamentals of their operation under the most hazardous possible conditions. Still, he managed to repulse the AIM invasion. And ultimately, it was his lack of a killer instinct that enabled him to subdue the rampant energies he had unleashed. S.H.I.E.L.D. Super-Agents His strong showing earned him a place in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fledgling super-agent program. Along with Blue Streak, the Vamp, and the Texas Twister, he underwent special training. The program was dismantled when Blue Streak and the Vamp were revealed to be double agents. Working alongside the legendary Captain America, he not only helped S.H.I.E.L.D. learn who sent the infiltrators, he also got a chance to pit his power against the might of the raging Hulk for a second time. Only days earlier, his and many other costumed adventurers' attempt to join the Defenders had quickly degenerated into a free-for-all. Project: Pegasus Wendell's S.H.I.E.L.D. credentials landed him a job as head of security at the government's experimental energy facility, Project: Pegasus. Within weeks of his arrival, the project was nearly destroyed by the space-engulfing Nth Man. It took the combined forces of Thundra, Thing, Aquarian, and himself to avert catastrophe. Vowing never to allow any situation to get out of hand again, he nevertheless fell prey to the will-numbing Serpent Crown, which had taken over the rest of the project's workers. Although a major disaster was again prevented due to outside intervention, Quasar felt that it was negligence on his part that enabled the crisis to occur. Despondent, he tendered his resignation as head of security to the project's director, Myron Wilburn, and would not let himself be talked out of the decision. Putting away his costume, he spent the next few weeks at his mother's home in Wisconsin sitting in his old bedroom, strumming his guitar, lifting weights, and avoiding life. At her wit's end, his mother finally called her ex-husband to come to try to draw their son out from beneath his veil of depression. Dr. Vaughn proposed his son undertake a scientific mission to learn the origin of the Quantum Bands. Attracted to the prospect of spending time alone in the void of space, Quasar agreed. And, after weeks of exhaustive preparation, the equipment-laden adventurer penetrated the envelope of atmosphere surrounding his home planet for the first time — and promptly went to sleep. Four years and nearly 3 billion kilometers later, he woke up. Discovering the remains of the Uranian Eternals' life-dome, Quasar encountered Deathurge who related the story of the Uranians and his role in their deaths to him. Deathurge then attempted to convince Wendell that he had journeyed all those billions of kilometers hoping that something would end his failed life. He nearly succumbed to Deathurge's "help", but was transported to subspace where Eon was waiting. Here Eon explained that Wendell Vaughn of Earth possessed all of the necessary attributes: intelligence, courage, and resourcefulness, and was to become the new Protector of the Universe, a position most recently filled by the late Captain Marvel. Eon appointed him the Captain's successor with his mission to safeguard the universe from the greatest threat that he had ever perceived. Of this threat, only three things were known: 1) the threat would come from space, 2) it would manifest itself on Earth, and 3) it would try to slay Eon to gain the secret of cosmic awareness. After performing the Metamorphic Rite of Passage, Eon transported Quasar back to normal space, where he easily defeated Deathurge. However, he uttered a brief prophecy, "When we meet again, you will beg me to kill you ... and I will refuse," as he slowly faded away. Wendell convinced Eon to accompany him back to Earth to better protect him against this threat. Now aware of the full capabilities of the Bands, he quantum-jumped back to Earth with Eon, reducing the four-year journey to fifteen seconds. Back on Earth, Quasar set up a security consulting firm to serve as both an income and cover for his "cosmic activities". Once Vaughn Security Systems was established, he began a systematic location and identification of every extraterrestrial on Earth. During a nation-wide villain uprising, Quasar chased the Living Laser into the Watcher's home on the moon. Here the Living Laser accidentally passed through a portal into an alternate dimension. Thinking him lost, Wendell returned to Earth to assist the Avengers during the crisis. The arrival of the Squadron Supreme triggered the re-emergence of the Over-Mind, the sole survivor of an ancient race of conquerors endowed with the entire psychic power of that race. By now, Wendell had learned how to program the Bands to keep his mind safe from mental takeover, but the Squadron wasn't as lucky. Over-Mind possessed them, commandeered their ship, and set course for the Stranger's Laboratory World, believing him to be the last survivor of the race responsible for his people's destruction. Quasar followed with Hyperion of the Squadron and his friend Makkari, an Eternal. The Stranger was away from his Lab World investigating a mystery, the sudden deaths of several Watchers throughout the galaxy. Unable to confront the Over-Mind directly, Wendell located the Stranger who returned and ultimately defeated Over-Mind. Several Watchers appeared during the battle, hoping to receive some form of assistance from the Stranger, whose judgment they all valued. An information plague, the Oblivion Virus, had been causing Watchers all over the universe to will themselves out of existence in an effort to keep from violating their oath of non-interference. Wendell reasoned that their deaths affect the universe just as much, if not more, than their passive observation. This idea revived all Watchers as it spread telepathically throughout the universe. Against the Cosmic Assassin Once back on Earth, Quasar encountered Unbeing and Origin, two minor but powerful cosmic entities. After overcoming Unbeing, Quasar had his costume design changed retroactively throughout time. Origin's simple act proved vital in his struggle against the Cosmic Assassin. The Presence and Starlight, newly escaped from the Stranger's Lab World reached Earth, intent on destroying Eon, believed him to be an evil menace to the universe due to a well placed lie from the assassin. Quasar thwarted their attack and believed that he had vanquished his appointed menace . . . just as the assassin wanted him to believe. Immediately after this, he discovered that his father had died months earlier and been animated since then by Eon. Abdicating his position as Protector of the Universe, he cut off all contact with his former mentor. During this time of emotional upheaval, the true Cosmic Assassin revealed himself ... Maelstrom. Having assumed the power and station of the cosmic entity Anomaly after being hyper-enlarged in a battle with the Avengers, he cut off Quasar's arms and suspended him in his mansion, but the Bands remained even on his severed arms, unable to be removed. To enable him to harness the energy of the Bands, Maelstrom finally killed Wendell and donned the Quantum Bands. Although his body lay dead in Maelstrom's mansion, Quasar suddenly found himself composed of pure energy. Not knowing how he had survived, he tried to protect Eon from Maelstrom. To keep him from gaining the secret of cosmic awareness, Quasar killed his eight billion-year-old mentor and suddenly found himself in possession of Eon's cosmic awareness. But, the fatal blow came too late, Maelstrom also acquired it. He then set out to collapse the universe into a single anomalous point where he, being the personification of Anomaly, would reign supreme. As the universal collapse accelerated, Maelstrom, as the avatar of Oblivion, battled Quasar, acting as the avatar of Infinity, his mysterious benefactor. In the ensuing battle, Quasar triumphed due to the fact that he existed as a time paradox because of Origin's retroactive change of his costume. This caused him to be a more anomalous being than Maelstrom, thereby diminishing his power and breaking his concentration enough to allow the energy of the Quantum Bands to consume him . Infinity, having triumphed demanded new terms from Oblivion. Death and Eternity were summoned, and a new bargain struck. As a part of this new pact, Quasar and Makkari were returned to life, while Death and Oblivion kept Eon and Maelstrom. When healing his body, Quasar created a new version of his costume, combining various elements from his S.H.I.E.L.D. issued costume and the version Eon created for him. Immediately upon saving the universe from his appointed threat, he served Eon one final time by delivering Epoch, Eon's daughter, from an egg within Eon's vast remains. Where Eon was his mentor, Epoch became his god-daughter, and he her mentor and protector as she developed her nascent cosmic awareness. Agreeing to help our Watcher retrieve the Living Laser from the various alternate realities to which he had fled months before, Wendell journeyed to a succession of alternate realities. In one of these realities Quasar encountered an immensely powerful Maelstrom who blasted him thinking that he was his reality's Quasar. The blast coincided with a hasty quantum jump and knocked him out of the known multiverse into the greater Omniverse where there were no Watchers to help him return. Dubbed the "New Universe", its physical laws differed greatly from those of his home universe. Cut off from the Quantum Zone, Quasar only had the energy he happened to have stored in his Quantum Bands. Meeting some "paranormals" from that Earth, he was able to find the Starbrand, that universe's most powerful energy source. With its power he was able to muster enough energy to return to his universe. Unfortunately, he burnt out the Starbrand in the process...or so he believed. Kree/Shi'ar War The Kree and Shi'ar, two star-spanning races were accelerating toward war. Both utilized a pair of normally closed stargates in close proximity to our sun, using its energy to power the gates. Using the stargates this close to the sun caused widespread increases in sunspot activity and threatened to destroy the sun and Earth, unless the stargates were sealed. The Shi'ar, in an attempt to construct a doomsday weapon, stole the Psyche-Magnetron and eventually acquired the Nega-Bands, worn by the late Captain Marvel. These objects, when combined with the Kree Omni-Wave Projector, formed a powerful bomb, the Nega-Bomb, capable of killing billions in the Kree Empire. Making use of Quasar's quantum jumping ability, two envoys composed of Avengers left for the Kree and Shi'ar homeworlds, hoping to convince their leaders to keep their war out of Earth's solar system. Staying behind, Quasar spent much of this time in space safeguarding our sun by intercepting various Kree and Shi'ar ships as they plunged through the stargates. Convinced by the Avengers, Empress Lilandra of the Shi'ar decided not to use the bomb and attempted a diplomatic settlement with the Kree. However, the Skrulls, ancient enemies of the Kree, stole the bomb and successfully detonated it in the Kree Empire, killing over 90% of the populations of thousands of worlds. Upon reaching Hala, the Kree homeworld, the Avengers discovered that the decimation of the Kree Empire had been planned from the beginning by the Kree leader, the Supreme Intelligence. Divided on how to deal with him, a group of Avengers led by Iron Man went to kill him. The other group led by Captain America, and including Quasar, could not condone the murder.Operation: Galactic Storm crossover. Feeling responsible for all the death in the Kree empire, Quasar decided to leave Earth and attempt to better protect the universe by preventing similar tragedies. Quitting the Avengers, he left Earth with Makkari and Kismet with the devastated Kree Empire as their first destination. Embroiled once again in the various battles that have surrounded the all-powerful weapon known as the Infinity Gauntlet, Quasar was apparently killed by the Ultimate Nullifier. The fraction of the Star Brand still left to him from his journey to the New Universe kept him from being destroyed, however. He used the last of its energy to once again reclaim his Quantum Bands. The Stranger, sensing the anomalous energy of the Starbrand, dispatched a group of mercenaries to retrieve Kayla from Earth for study. Wendell had unwittingly given her a fraction of the Starbrand upon returning from the "New Universe". Attaching a large thruster on the moon in an attempt to cause a collision with Earth, the mercenaries used it as a distraction while kidnapping Kayla. Quasar assembled a team to confront the menace on the moon, disabled the thruster and, with help, returned the moon to its correct orbit. Finding Kayla gone, he and his team tracked the mercenaries to the Stranger's Lab World. The Stranger then assumed the power of the Starbrand, an event which led to the movement of the Earth of the "New Universe" to this universe. With the "New Universe" Earth in orbit around the Stranger's Lab World, the Living Tribunal intervened and forever sealed the anomalous Earth from this universe, trapping Kayla there. Presented with the option of forfeiting his position as Protector of the Universe and joining Kayla, Wendell declined.Starblast crossover. Intending to return to Earth, Quasar was confronted by enemies he had made in his adventures. The egomaniacal Presence hated Quasar for various past slights dating back to the Cosmic Assassin affair. His daughter, the super-hero Darkstar, was convinced to join her father's vendetta against Quasar after her brother Vanguard was killed on Quasar's behalf during the mission on the Strangers' Laboratory World. With his life and the lives of his family and friends being threatened by the Presence, Wendell was forced into a situation where he faked his death on Earth to bring the Presence's vengeance to a conclusion, and self-exiled himself into space. While establishing various listening posts with his Quantum Bands throughout the universe, Wendell received an urgent message from his mother, using a special homing beacon he had given her. Racing home, he discovered that the Charter, a peaceful galactic federation had invited Earth to join. Resting aboard the Charter's enormous satellite, Quasar awoke to find its 3 million inhabitants dead. The prime suspect, Wendell was forced to battle the Charter's peace-keeping force while he, with the help of Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer, stopped a giant meteor from destroying the Earth. Joined by two members of the peace keeping force and calling themselves the Starmasters, the team discovered the real murderers, the war-like Axi-Tun, and cleared Quasar's name. Once again answering the call of the Avengers, Wendell found himself battling alongside almost the entire membership of the team against Morgana Le Fey as she used the power of various Asgardian magical objects to remake reality. With the Avengers as her personal army in this new reality, she controlled the planet. Quasar, or Star Knight in Morgana's reality, was one of a handful of Avengers able to hear the Scarlet Witch's mystical call for help to those with the most Avengers spirit. Finally breaking the spell, the team returned home, and Quasar once more returned to space. Discovering a ravaged planet and Jack of Hearts near death, Wendell requested help from the reserves of the Avengers and was joined by Photon, Thor, Tigra, Starfox, and Moondragon. Together they alerted Eternity to the extra-dimensional danger and saved all life in the universe. While returning to Earth, the Avengers and the entire planet once again became embroiled in the machinations of the Kree Supreme Intelligence. Subtly convincing various other races that humans were too dangerous to be allowed free reign in the galaxy, Earth was turned into a prison planet. The Avengers, with other Earth heroes, exposed the Kree plot and freed the planet. The Earth was still threatened, however, by the quickly growing mass of Ego, the Living Planet. After the Silver Surfer failed to contain the mass, Wendell, home again after so many months of wandering the galaxy, used the power of the Quantum Bands to contain Ego within his body, forcing him into exile in space lest the Ego-mass within him escape. The Avengers, in an effort to take a more proactive approach to protecting humanity, contacted Wendell soon after his leaving the Earth. He created a small base in the Asteroid Belt to serve as an early warning post in the event of another alien incursion. It wasn't a solitary vigil, though, as other Avengers took shifts with him, letting him catch up with events on Earth. On a small break from monitor duty, Quasar even helped long-time friend Ben Grimm and the rest of the Fantastic Four in a battle on the Moon. Annihilation Quasar fought against the Annihilation Wave alongside Nova. The two fought their way across the galaxy and confronted Annihilus directly. Annihilus destroyed Wendell's body, and confiscated the Quantum Bands. Seconds before his death Wendell attempted to Quantum jump from Annihilus' clutches but only his mind managed to escape, which ended up in the Negative Zone. Rider later avenged his death by personally ripping Annihilus apart after the Quantum Bands chose Phlya-Vell as their new wielder. Phyla vowed to carry on Wendell's legacy as Quasar. However, she had difficulties in her new position, as Annihilus had left corruption in the bands that would overtake her if she used too much energy. When she attempted to fight off the Phalanx invasion of the Kree Empire, Wendell appeared before her, caught in a spiritual battle against Annihilus. As he sealed away the influence of the evil warlord, he promised Phyla that she would make a great Quasar. Secret Invasion Six weeks prior to the Skrull invasion, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. technicians probing the Negative Zone discovered an exotic form of radiation and contained it within a "Quantum Flask". When the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Facility was attacked by a Skrull Task Force, P.E.G.A.S.U.S. scientists Robbie Rider, and Evelyn Necker removed the Xandarian Worldmind from Nova's head and used it to open the flask, unleashing Wendell as a being of pure energy. Nova, the resurrected Quasar, and Darkhawk managed to repel most of the Skrull invaders before Wendell was forced to recharge. Pleasant Hil Wendell eventually started to lose control over the Quantum Bands. He bequeathed them to S.H.I.E.L.D., to keep them from falling into the wrong hands, and even his own. When S.H.I.E.L.D. created the top secret town/prison of Pleasant Hill, Vaughn became one of the several operatives living among countless of reformed super villains who had had their memories and appearances tampered with by a sentient Cosmic Cube named Kobik so they could be turned into model citizens. In a similar manner to the inmates, albeit voluntarily, Wendell was transformed into an old man and the curator of the Pleasant Hill Museum, the place where the Quantum Bands were kept, to remain there as a failsafe in case Kobik needed to be neutralized. During a super villain uprising led by Baron Zemo, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Avril Kincaid resorted to finding the Quantum Bands. As a consequence of the upheaval, anybody who had had their true selves modified by Kobik regained their memories and true appearance, including Wendell. After regaining his memories, he gave Kincaid the Quantum Bands. Once the conflict was resolved, Wendell began tutoring Avril on using the bands, helping her become the new Quasar. | Powers = As a being of pure quantum energy, Quasar can shape his "body" into any shape he can imagine, explosively disperse his form, though he can tire if he overuses his powers. He was deemed to be an Alpha Plus by the Galadorian Spaceknight Ikon. | Abilities = Wendell is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He likes to use melee weapons, and will use his bands to create them. Skilled in various martial arts. | Strength = Without the Quantum Bands to enhance his strength, Vaughn has the strength of a normal human male who engages in intensive exercise. Known Limitations: Formerly Quasar had limited contact with the Earth's surface while the Ego spore was contained within him. Quantum energy forms do not protect against psionic (aside from telepathy, which his bands can be set to jam), magical, and/or extra-dimensional energies such as Darkforce. | Equipment = | Transportation = Quantum Bands; formerly Avengers Quinjet | Weapons = Formerly: Quantum Bands: The bands could draw upon quantum energy for a number of effects such as creating various kinds of constructs, shields, interstellar flight and a form of teleportation he calls quantum jumping. More complex and powerful constructs take more time to create. An incomplete construct is essentially worthless. Constructs last until dismissed or destroyed, but requires attention to animate. * The bands are able to control energies of the electromagnetic spectrum to a high degree. He is able to project and absorb any variety from radio waves to light to gamma radiation. * Quasar has programmed the bands to emit a "jamming wave" against telepathy.Following . * Through the bands Quasar is able to communicate with Eon and Epoch, due to their cosmic awareness. * Quasar will often attempt to contain an enemy or potential threat before resorting to combat. * Quasar will often cloak his bands to be discrete; this allows him to make the bands themselves invisible, or project invisible quantum constructs instead of the typical radiant ones. It is unknown if he can extend this light-bending to himself or others. Star Brand: Wendell briefly wielded the Star Brand. | Notes = | Trivia = | Links = Quantumzone.org }} Category:Protector Of The Universe Category:Defenders members Category:Self Sustenance Category:Telepathic Immunity Category:Cosmic Awareness Category:Humans Category:Vaughn Family Category:Alpha Plus Class (Galadorian Classification) Category:Atheist Characters Category:Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. security directors